Trolling reel



Feb. 26, 1952 c E 2,587,308

TROLLING REEL Filed Sept. 8, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR.

CLEM ENT J. GILETTE ATTORN Y C. J. GILETTE TROLLING REEL Feb. 26, 1952 72 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Sept. 8, 1947 INVENTOR.

CLEMENT J. GILE TTE Patented Feb. 26, 1952 UNITED PATENT OFFICE2,587,393 TROLLINGTREIQL Qlement eflat Detroit, Mich.Application-fientemher 8, 1 947,;S eriallio;7' 72 ;767

This invention relates to fishing reelsv andtparticularlyspring-operated .reels.

Anobject of the invention is to provide.-f.or alternatively driving theline-receiving spool of a fishing reel from aspring or bymanual means.

Another object isto adapt saidspringto-be wound either by unreeling theline or by-manual means,.while the spool is held;from rotation.

Another object isto compactly. assemble within a hollow line-receivingspool .a 2springn otor for driving such spool and agear train affordingaconsiderable mechanical advantage in driving the spool.

Another object is to adapt the line spool of ,a fishing reel to bemanually driven through agear train at an advantageous ratio,in .reelingin a large fish, or to be rapidly driven independently of the gear trainwhen the line is under moderate tension.

Another object isto provide foran automatic reeling of a fish line, asit is puled n, hand over hand.

These and variousother objects are attained by the constructionhereinafter described and-,il-

lustrated in the accompanyinghdrawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a diametricalvertical sectionaleviewaof my improved reel, as taken on the line Y I+Iof Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of .thetreel, partially in section onthe lineZTZ .Of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the reeltalgzen on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 3-5 of Fig. 1 andparticularlyshowing.cer-

tain ratchet and pawl mechanisms.

,Fig, 5 is a sectional detail taken on-the,,.line 5 of Fig. 2 andshowing a sliding pawl in;its driving position.

Fig. 6 is a similar View showingthe retracted position of such pawl.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectionalview taken on the line 7-1 of Fig. l,and showing a ratchet connection between the spool-drivingspring and itsarbor.

In these views, the reference. characterl designates a substantiallyrectangular open frame, formed preferably by bending two m etal bars(which may be of standard stock) to jointly form an elongatedrectangular annulus, .the qei ida of so such bars meeting in alappedjointz,and-being plane. of the channel.

boat (not shown) ,one arm of such clamp having a clamping screw 5threaded therein to be stressed. upwardly. against: said seat.

Midway of its length, the frame .mounts ,a shaftE, an end '!.of which issquaredand fitted ina correspondingly shaped opening of the frame,preventing rotation of such shaft. The latter is held .from lengthwisemovementby forming it .withindentations Ma entering into a snap enafiment, when registered. The plates ill and 1 2 respectivelycarry hubsl5 and it for axially journaling ,the spool. 'When a considerable Ilength ofline iswound on the spool, there may beatendency for one ofmore convolutions of the line to laterally escape from the spool andlodge between the spool and a side of the frame. To resist any suchtendency, it is preferred to weld a,pair of rings Ilto the frame ends,such rings being coaxial with the spool and in close proximity tothejunctures of the side walls and channel portion of the spool andpreferably .fsligli tly overhanging the channel portion.

-Journaled on theshaft Sis a tubular shaft I8, exliendedexteriorly ofthe frame I, at oneside of .the latter, to rigidly mount a crank wheelI9. As

.illustrated thelatter is fixed on the shaft l8 by a key [9 and thecrankhandle of said wheel is designatedzfi. Within the spool the shaftl8 terminally and rigidly mounts a pinionl l, form- ,ing the drivingmember of a speed-reducing gear train ;2l, 22, 2 3,;24, 25. The gears 22and 23 rotate as a unit upona stub shaft25 set into a plate}? preferablyofspider form, restrained from rotation by engagement of its hub '2 lidwith a fiquared portion 28 of the shaftt. The gear ,ZA/isyjournaled onapstub shaft .29 also fixed in said plate. The gear 25 is of an.internal form and has an elongated hub 3i journaled on the shaft l8andservingas a windi arbor for a clock type spring 3i. Said springoccupies .a

. sheet metal housing 32, it outer endhaving a suitable rigid connectionto the peripheral wall ofs aid l eusing,. as; indicated at 33. Torestrain J said housing from rotation, pins 34 fixed on the outer endsof the arms of the spider plate 21, are extended into notches 35 formedin a flange 36 annularly projecting outwardly from the housingperiphery. It is preferred to employ a ratchet connection between thespring and the arbor 30, so that actuation of the arbor in a non-windingdirection will put no strain on the spring and will produce a clickingsuch as will indicate that the spring is not being wound. To secure thisefiect a notch 31 is formed in the arbor 3|], as best appears in Fig.'7, and the inner end portion of the spring forms a collar 38 somewhatlarger than the arbor, the inner extremity 39 of the spring projectingresiliently into the collar for ratchet engagement with the notch 31.

Between the housing 32 and the side plate ii of the spool, two reverselytoothed ratchet wheels 40 and 40:]. (see Fig. 4) are terminally fixed onthe arbor 30 and are respectively engageable by pawls il and 42interiorly pivoted on the plate l2 and urged toward said ratchet wheelby a light spring 43. Each pawl may be held clear of the ratchet wheelby a cam member 44 beneath such pawl, rigidly carried by a pin rotativein the plate H and having a button head 45 exteriorly of such plate,whereby the cam member may be rotated to disengage its pawl from thecorresponding ratchet wheel.

The hub l6 of the spool extends through the adjacent member of the frameI and is formed with one or more apertures 46 exteriorly of the framefor selective engagement by a pawl 41 having the form of an elongatedpin radially slidable in the hub portion of the crank Wheel I9. A spring48 coiled in said hub portion urges the pawl 41 inward and a head 49rotatable on the outer end of said pawl serves to maintain a releasedposition of such pawl when desired. To exercise this function said headand a seat for such head formed on the crank wheel have cam facesdiagonally divergent to the length of the sliding pawl, so that the pawlmay respond to the spring 48 when rotation of the head establishes saidcam faces in parallelism (Fig. 5), while the pawl is retracted when saidcam faces are divergentl interengaged, as in Fig. 6.

In use of .the described reel, the spring 3| serves to drive the spoolin a direction to wind up the line as it is drawn in, hand over hand, bya fisherman, this being particularly desirable in trolling. When theline, with attached sinker, is

trailing behind a boat, the strength of the spring is inadequate to drawin the line, but when the latter is slackened by pulling it manually in,the torque applied to the spool by the spring is ample to continuouslytake up such slack. Assuming the spring to be unwound or substantiallyunwound, when the line is fully spooled, winding of the spring 3| on itsarbor will be effected by running out the line from the reel, as by handover hand pulling. In using the reel as described, the pawl 41 mustengage the hub l6 of the spool, while the pawls 4| and 42 will beretracted. Thus the crank wheel transmits a drive from the spool to theshaft |8 which, in turn, acts through the gear train to drive the arbor30 and wind the spring, the arbor being driven much slower than theshaft H3.

The spring may also be wound on its arbor by turning the crank wheel inthe proper direction, indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. In thisoperation, the arbor 30 is driven from the shaft l8 through the speedreduction train 2|, 22, 23, 24, 25, the total number of crank wheelrevolutions being sufficient to entail a quite moderate application offorce. Preferably all three pawls 4|, 42, and 41 will be retractedduring the described operation, thus avoiding any delivery of power tothe reel. The only occasion, however, for employing the crank wheel towind the spring is in initially applying a line to the reel, the woundspring then rapidly and easily spooling the line. When the pawl 42 isengaged with the corresponding ratchet wheel, any unwinding of thespring may be prevented by tying or otherwise securing the line M to theframe I.

In pulling in fish that impose no heavy strain on the line, thefisherman may bring in the line, hand over hand, as has been alreadydescribed. If a hooked fish is of a size or type tostress the lineconsiderably, while not applying severe stresses, it is preferred to usethe crank wheel to reel in and play the fish. In thus using the reel,the sliding pawl 41 is engaged with the hub It so that the crankwheeland spool will turn in unison, the mechanical advantage derived beingmerely the leverage afforded by the wheel. The pawls 4| and 42 will beretracted, and the spring will be unwound, through the gear train, asthe fish is brought in or will be wound, if the fish is given line.

In pulling in fish that heavily strain the line, the crank wheel isused, with the pawls 4| and 42 engaged and the pawl 41 retracted. Underthese conditions the spool is driven through the gear train, whichaffords a powerful mechanical advantage, as for example, twelve to one.The fish may be played, as desired, being drawn in by clockwise rotation(with reference to Fig. 2) of the crank wheel and given additional lineby counter clockwise rotation of said wheel. The spring 3| is wound orunwound, according to the direction of crankwheel rotation, withoutmaterially efiecting the described operation.

When for any reason, access to the mechanism enclosed by the spoolbecomes necessary, the two halves of the frame I are disconnected byremoval of the bolts 2a, and upon removal of the cotter pin 9 the shaft6 may be withdrawn from the assembly. The halves of the spool may thenbe separated.

While the improved reel has been described as attachable by the clamp 3,5 to the seat of a boat, it may be carried in a well-known manner by thebutt of a fishing rod, or otherwise suitably supported.

What I claim is:

1. A fishing reel comprising a hollow rotatable spool, a frame havingan'opening receiving said spool, a shaft fixedly carried by said frameat the spool axis, a tubular shaft journaled on said fixed shaft, adrive spring for the spool, coiled within the spool, a tubular arbor forsaid spring journaled on said tubular shaft, a gear train establishing adrive connection from the arbor to the tubular shaft and multiplying thetubular shaft speed with relation to that of the arbor, an anchoragemeans for the outer end of the spring fixed upon said fixed shaft withinthe spool, and a drive connection from said tubular shaft to the spool.

2. In a fishing reel as set forth in claim 1, said tubular shaft havingan end portion projecting exteriorly of the frame, a crank member indriving engagement with said end portion and forming the last-mentioneddrive connection.

3. A fishing reel comprising a spool, a shaft coaxial with said spool, aspring for driving said spool, an arbor for said spring coaxial with thespool, a gear train establishing a drive connection from the arbor tothe shaft, multiplying the angular speed of the shaft with relation tothat of the arbor, a releasable drive connection from the spool to thearbor, and a releasable connection between the shaft and spool, wherebythey may rotate as a unit.

4. A fishing reel comprising a fixed shaft and a coaxial rotative shaft,a hollow spool rotatable about the axis of said shafts, a drive springfor said spool coiled within the spool, a tubular arbor for said springcoaxial with the spool, a gear train establishing a drive from the arborto said rotative shaft and multiplying the angular speed of the rotativeshaft with relation to that of the arbor, a releasable drive connectionfrom the rotative shaft to the spool, an anchorage member fixed upon thefixed shaft within the spool,

means for anchoring the outer end of said spring to said member, andmeans for journaling at least one gear of said train on said member.

5. A fishing reel comprising a hollow spool, a frame having an openingreceiving the spool, a shaft journaled in said frame at the spool axis,a

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 551,645 Newell Dec. 17, 1895743,856 Funk Nov. 10, 1903 975,587 Wadham Nov. 15, 1910 1,855,738 CaseApr. 26, 1932 2,269,808 Cabassa Jan. 13, 1942

